Cephus emerging as Badgers’ top wide receiver

Before the season began, you’d likely have found most people to think that Jazz Peavy was going to be the No. 1 wide receiver for the Wisconsin Badgers this season.

Through three games, and especially after the BYU game, that thinking certainly has changed.

While Peavy has struggled to be a part of Wisconsin’s offense (four receptions for 56 yards), Quintez Cephus has suddenly emerged as the top target for Alex Hornibrook not named Troy Fumagalli (although against BYU, Cephus had five targets to Fumagalli’s two).

On the season, Cephus (13) and Fumagalli (23) are the only Badgers with double-digit targets after three games.

Cephus has displayed his toughness, good hands and leaping ability (he did play basketball, you know) in Wisconsin’s early games. In the win over the Cougars, he had a career-high five receptions — he had four all of last year as a freshman — for 54 yards with two touchdowns, giving him three of the Badgers’ eight receiving TDs (Fumagalli also has three).

Score this as a big win for Wisconsin’s recruiting, and specifically Ted Gilmore. Cephus was known more for his basketball prowess than football and had committed to Furman. Football teams (at least not of the FBS variety) weren’t sniffing around — but Gilmore saw something, made an offer and Cephus committed. Then, as he proceeded to have a good year as a high school senior, big-name football programs started offering him scholarships, but it was too late.

For years, Wisconsin has tried to recruit a top-notch wide receiver, and more often than not they haven’t, relying on those who were originally walk-ons (i.e. Jared Abbederis, Alex Erickson) and struggling to come up with even a solid No. 2.

The last non-walk-on to catch 50 or more passes in a season was Nick Toon (64) in 2011, and he obviously had connections to Wisconsin and was from Middleton. Going back further for a non-Wisconsin high school player, Garrett Graham had 51 in 2009, but he was a tight end. The last wide receiver the Badgers had who wasn’t from the state of Wisconsin with 50+ catches was Brandon Williams (59) in 2006.

But with Cephus (10 catches), fellow sophomore A.J. Taylor (6) and freshman Danny Davis (3), the future appears to be bright — and very productive — at wide receiver.

Here’s the complete rundown from the first three games of the season:

“TRUE” FRESHMENAdam Bay, LSUtah State: Played, did not record a statisticFlorida Atlantic: Played, did not record a statisticBYU: Played, did not record a statistic

Jack Coan, QBUtah State: Played, did not record a statisticFlorida Atlantic: 1 for 1 passing, 6 yardsBYU: Played, did not record a statistic

Madison Cone, CBUtah State: Played, did not record a statisticFlorida Atlantic: Did not playBYU: Played, did not record a statistic